Shipping container



Oct. 31, 19.67 FEDER I 3,349,923

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Oct. 25, 1965 INVENTOR.

AARON I. FfDH? ATTORN United States Patent 3,349,923 SHIPPING CONTAINER Aaron I. Feder, Brooklyn, NY. (66-10 Thornton Place, Forest Hills, N.Y.

Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,557 4 Claims. (Cl. 211123) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a shipping container for clothing, and more particularly to a hanger rack construction insertable in such container for suspending conventional clothing rangers therefrom, and with means for reinforcing the walls of such containers to prevent buckling thereof, especially in areas where such hanger rack construction is placed within or upon the container.

It is common practice in the art to provide a rack or bar across the top of a shipping container so that conventional clothing hangers, having mounted thereupon suits, coats, dresses or the like, may be suspended therefrom. Such bar or rack is generally provided with a pair of inverted trough-like members at each of the ends thereof, which are adapted to be seated upon the upper lateral edges of a shipping container. In order to restrain such trough-like members against movement along the edges of the container, projections of varying kinds have been provided which stab into the walls of the container and cause distortion thereof. Extending the trough-like members so as to extend along the entire lateral edges of the container, although effectively restraining lateral movement, limits the use of the rack to a single container size.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a transverse rack in a shipping container which will resist lateral movement without distorting or piercing the walls of such container.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a transverse rack which can be easily installed in and removed from a conventional shipping container.

A further object herein is the provision of a transverse rack for supporting a plurality of conventional hangers which may be used with containers of varying sizes.

Because of the rough handling to which a clothing container is subjected, and by reason of the weight of the garments suspended from a rack, the outer walls of the trough-like members which are seated upon the lateral edges of the container tend to become distorted and flare outwardly. Generally, too, the weight of one container placed upon the top of another container causes buckling of the lower container.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shipping container sufliciently reinforced at ,appropriate points to prevent buckling and collapse of the container when an inordinate load is placed thereupon.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a shipping container having a transverse rack for supporting conventional hangers which will not become distorted under the weight of a load suspended thereupon.

In general, achievement of the foregoing aims, objects and advantages of the present invention is accomplished by the provision of a transverse bar extending between the sides of a conventional shipping container and having an inverted U-shaped, trough-like member at each end thereof, adapted to be seated upon the upper lateral edges of said container. A reinforcing element secured to and extending medially through the arms of said U-shaped, trough-like member is provided for maintaining the arms of said U-shaped, trough-like member in spaced relationship and which provide additional seating support to said transverse bar. Longitudinal supporting means are further provided for securing the shipping container against buckling and collapse under particularly heavy loads.

Other objects, advantages and inventive characteristics of the present invention will become apparent to those versed in the art from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings wherein like characters designate like parts in the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the clothes hanger sup port according to the present invention shown seated upon the top lateral edges of a conventional shipping container;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end view of the rack partially broken away seated upon the top edge of the container;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 1 showing the longitudinal supporting means therewith, and also showing in dot and dash lines, a flap or lid provided on the container;

FIG. 5 is a view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4, and- FIG. 6 is a fragmentary end view showing the longitudinal supporting means with a preformed seat or slot.

Referring now to the drawings, the shipping container 10 is provided with front and back walls 11 and 12 respectively, and side walls 13 and 14, and also a bottom (not shown), to form a box for enclosing articles of clothing being transported and may be fabricated of any suitable material such as corrugated board or the like, resulting in a conventional container, as partially illustrated in FIG. 1. The clothes hanger rack 20 is comprised of a transverse bar 21 extending between walls 13 and 14 and is adapted to have suspended therefrom a plurality of hangers 22. Said transverse bar 21 is fabricated of a rigid material such as wood, metal or the like. At each end of transverse bar 21 there is provided a substantially inverted U-shaped, trough-like member 30, 30, adapted to be seated upon the top edges of walls 13, 14 respectively. A reinforcing member 40, such as a bolt or the like, extending from one arm 31 to the other arm 32 of member 30 is provided to retain the arms of said member 30 in spaced relationship, and extends into the end section of bar 21, securing member 30 thereto. Reinforcing member 40 may be provided with a cylindrical jacket along the area thereof extending from arms 31 to 32 respectively, to maintain such arms in spaced relationship and to prevent said arms from flaring outwardly when a heavy load is put on the container. Reinforcing member 40 may assume, in cross-section, a substantially triangular configuration so as to permit it to be forced down upon top edge of container 10 in the event that no slot is provided along the top edge thereof. In order to provide greater reinforcement, a semi-cylindrical, open-end member 35 is provided by extending arm 32 and folding said arm inwardly to form said member 35. The ends of bar 21 may then be inserted and secured within member 35 by a bolt 36.

In the utilization of rack 20, a slot 15 is provided medially along the top edge of sides 13, 14 so that when the inverted U-shape trough-like member 30 is placed upon the lateral top edges of sides 13 and 14 of container 10, reinforcing member 40 is positioned Within said slot 15 and rests upon the edge 16 created thereby, while the inverted U-shaped, trough-like member 30 rests upon points 17 and 18 of the top edges of container 10.

In order to restrain container 10 from buckling and collapse, especially when another container is placed over ice it, longitudinal supporting means comprised of a substantially elongated member 59 is secured to sides 13 and 14 respectively. Said member 50 may be a substantially rigid member, such as wood, or may be fabricated of corrugated board and is secured against the inner surfaces of sides 13, and 14 by pasting or the like. It is to be noted that the top end of member 50 is provided with a slot 41, and such slot overlying slot 15, so that reinforcing member 40 is effectively seated within said slots 15 and 41. Where the shipping container is provided with a top lid 55, a lateral slot 56 is provided above slot so that member 30 may be seated therein.

Although this invention has been described with respect to the embodiment shown herein, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to that described and illustrated in the drawing, but various changes, modifications and adaptations may be made and the structure as so modified and changed would still fall within the ambit of this invention and would not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention as described and il lustrated.

I claim:

1. In a shipping container having front, side and rear walls and a bottom for confining therein a plurality of articles of merchandise and a slot medially along the top edges of said walls at the sides of said container; a hanger rack comprising a transverse bar extending between the side walls of said container; a substantially inverted U-shaped member seated upon the top edges of the side walls of said container; means for securing said inverted U-shaped member to said transverse bar; a reinforcing member extending between the arms of said inverted U-shaped member for insertion within said slot and for retaining said transverse bar against lateral movement along the top edges of said container.

2. In a shipping container according to claim 1, wherein said reinforcing member is a bolt having a cylindrical jacket thereabout.

3. In a shipping container, according to claim 1, wherein said reinforcing member assumes, in cross section, a substantially triangular configuration.

4. In a shipping container, according to claim 1, including a longitudinally disposed reinforcing strip on each side wall thereof, said reinforcing strip extending from the bottom of said container with a slot in its upper end and terminating at the point of contact of said reinforcing member within said slot of the side wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,986,279 1/1935 Miller 312259 2,357,309 9/1944 Brown et al. 206-7 2,633,979 4/ 1953 Warnick 2067 2,770,357 11/1956 Sheard 206-7 3,197,033 7/1965 Brennan 211123 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A SHIPPING CONTAINER HAVING FRONT, SIDE AND REAR WALLS AND A BOTTOM FOR CONFINING THEREIN A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES OF MERCHANDISE AND A SLOT MEDIALLY ALONG THE TOP EDGES OF SAID WALLS AT THE SIDES OF SAID CONTAINER; A HANGER RACK COMPRISING A TRANSVERSE BAR EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID CONTAINER; A SUSBSTANTIALLY INVERTED U-SHAPED MEMBER SEATED UPON THE TOP EDGES OF THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID CONTAINER; MEANS FOR SECURING SAID INVERTED U-SHAPED MEMBER TO SAID TRANSVERSE BAR; A REINFORCING MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN THE ARMS OF SAID INVERTED U-SHAPED MEMBER FOR INSERTION WITHIN SAID SLOT AND FOR RETAINING SAID TRANSVERSE BAR AGAINST LATERAL MOVEMENT ALONG THE TOP EDGES OF SAID CONTAINER. 